Her words seemed to reach him, and he took a deep breath. “You’re right,” he said.
Finally, the Boy Scout had returned.
Kane continued, “The first order of business is to free ourselves. Once we do that, we can make a swim for it.”
Holly straightened. Swim? As in the ocean? The thought of drowning—like her dad—made her heart race. What would her mom do if she died like that? She might never recover.
There had to be another way. “We don’t even know where we are,” she countered. “Wouldn’t it be easier to push them overboard?”
Kane shook his head. “If they didn’t have guns, sure. But they do, so we’re going to take our chances in the ocean.”
Dammit. She’d kept so much from him, and it hadn’t seem to matter. Why this? Why now? “We can’t,” Holly said, dreading the path the conversation had to take.
“We don’t have a choice,” Kane insisted.
She bit the metaphorical bullet, feeling like a landbound doofus. “I can’t swim.”
…
Holly couldn’t swim?
That explained a lot. He’d thought her overreaction to the wreck was the shock at being tossed overboard. He’d guessed wrong.
He took a minute, absorbing the information. “You can scale walls. Walk a tightrope. Break into uncrackable safes. But you can’t swim?” When one thought about all that Holly was capable of, her pronouncement seemed like a joke.
She shook her head, eyes downcast “Nope. Not a stroke.”
“How did that happen?”
She turned away from him. “My dad died drowning, so my mother thought it was a sign and never let me near the water.”
Kane could only shake his head. She had to be telling the truth. But the reason didn’t really matter. Somehow, they’d have to get around her inability to swim because as it stood, it seemed to be their best option at survival, and even that was sketchy.
That left him with one option. “Can you not panic if you’re in the water?”
“Why?” she asked, looking at him like a wary animal.
“If we can get clear of the boat, I can tow you.”
She stared at him, eyes wide. “That’s insane,” she finally said. “Where are you going to tow me to? We don’t even know where we are.”
He wasn’t the one unconscious. “We haven’t been underway that long, and there’s a ton of little islands around here. Once we’re in the water, I’ll head toward the closest one, and we can flag down someone tomorrow morning. Maybe the next day.”
He hesitated “But before we do any of that, we need to get out of these,” and he nodded at his bound ankles.
Holly sighed. “Are you sold on this insanity?”
“I am. Unless you think you can talk him into letting us go.” And good luck with that.
She shook her head. “Not a chance.” Another sigh. “Just give me a minute. I have an idea.”
Unable to move, he watched as she shifted on the floor, edging her bound hands closer to her bottom and then under it. Wincing, she bent her knees, then pulled her legs through her arms, leaving her bound hands in front of her.
If they got out of this, he was going to have to see just how flexible she really was. “Impressive. Considering you probably broke a rib.”
She rose. “Not to Wanda.”
“Wanda?”
“Our contortionist.”
“Point taken,” he said, watching as she rummaged through a drawer. After a second, she pulled out a lighter.
Not as good as a knife but fine for zip-ties. Fumbling, she flicked it on and managed to get the flame near the plastic. Her breath hissed through her teeth, and he had no doubt that she was burning skin as well. After a few seconds, she pulled, snapping the plastic.
She was amazing.
She dropped to his feet, and in seconds they were free, followed by his hands. Kane rubbed his wrists in an effort to get the blood back into his veins. Enzo was a vindictive son of a bitch, there was no doubt there.
“What next?” Holly asked, rocking back on her heels. “You’re the plan guy.”
It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. “We exit the forward hatch,” he said, pointing toward the ceiling access that led to the desk. “We’ll have to take a chance and turn off the light so it doesn’t spill out when we open it. But as long as that works, and we move fast, we should be good. They’re running dark, so that should help.”
“Once we’re on deck, keep low, and get to the sides. I’ll jump first, and then you jump to me. If we have to go under, go limp and just hold your breath until we surface.”
She glanced at him, and for the first time since he met her, he saw doubt. But it wasn’t in him or his half-assed plan. It was in herself.
It was almost unbearable and right now—lethal. He took her hand in his. She was shaking. “You can do this,” he assured her.
“I wish I was as sure.”
He wished he had more time to encourage her, but Enzo had already been gone longer than expected, and he couldn’t count on their luck to last. “I’ll be sure enough for both of us. Now let’s get out of here before Enzo comes back.”
He squeezed her hands and walked her to the hatch. “I’ll get the lights. If they notice, don’t bother being subtle. Just open it and get out. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He wasn’t going to let her die. Not when he could save her.
Adrenaline surged through him as he went to the steps and turned off the light.
…
Holly held her breath, waiting for all hell to break loose.
Silence. They hadn’t noticed.
Then a shout.
Reaching up, she unlatched the forward hatch and pulled herself upward and onto the deck, sliding across the teak boards to keep her profile as flat as possible.
Beneath her, she heard a scuffle and a grunt. A pair of large hands gripped the edge of the forward hatch, and Kane’s head popped up. “Go,” he shouted.
She nodded and crawled to the front of the boat.
“Hey, bitch!”
Lucien. She turned, the moon giving her ample light to see the elder mobster making his way forward, gripping the top of the cabin with one hand and clutching a gun in the other.
Kane struggled with the tight fit of the hatch and his large body.
Oh God, if Lucien got any closer, he’d see Kane.
And there was only one outcome in that scenario. One too awful to consider.
She knew what she had to do. Slowly, she stood on shaky legs and staggered to the other side of the boat. “You want me? Then come get me,” she said, drawing his attention.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Kane popped free.
Finally.
But what now?
Lucien raised a gun, and she held her breath. She knew what she had to do.
Step off the boat. Step off the boat. But her legs refused to move.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
And something hit her in the chest, and she was flying through the air.
She hit the water, screaming.
“I got you!” Kane screamed back. “Now hold your breath.” And he pulled her under.
Her mouth filled with salty water and her limbs flailed, as Holly fought to stay afloat. A few seconds later, something shook her.
Kane.
And his touch cut through the panic, giving her the clarity she needed to push it down. Despite the fear, she remembered what he told her and went limp, holding what little breathe she had left.
Slowly, Kane towed her under the water, her ribs aching at the motion, until she struggled, the need to breathe stronger than the fear of being shot or even the possibility of sharks.
He pulled her upward, and she broke the surface, sucking in air. The boat was only twenty feet away but moving in the opposite direction.
“Again,” Kane said, pulling her back under. Like a kitten carried by the back o
f its neck, she went limp again, trying to decide if the sounds she heard were bullets hitting the water or her imagination.
Kane dragged her deeper, farther, and when they surfaced again, the boat was over a hundred feet away. He didn’t tell her again. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her torso, placing her on her back.
“I got you,” he said, as she struggled to remain afloat. “Just relax and let me tow you.”
It took every ounce of willpower not to thrash. She’d never felt so helpless. Never.
But this was Kane, and he was a Boy Scout. A planner.
And he’d never let her die.
Holly forced herself to relax, trusting Kane to keep her alive. Using a sidestroke, he dragged her through the water, and she kept her eye on the Glory.
The mobsters’ voices carried over the water—Lucien was screaming at Enzo for letting himself be jumped.
Maybe Lucien would shoot his son instead. Not likely, but it was possible. She allowed herself a small smile at the dark thought. After a few minutes, she heard the sound of an engine, and the sails on the Glory dropped to the deck.
“Kane,” she whispered.
“Got it,” he said, and for the final time, he dragged her under, though this time, there was no swimming. Just waiting as the sound of the engine echoed through the water, growing closer.
Then it was over them and going away. They were safe.
They surfaced and once again, Kane held her in his arms, keeping her afloat.
Chapter Fourteen
Kane sat in Tempe’s office, with Holly next to him. Bravo waited at the window, his white shirt washed orange and red by the rising sun.
Just over twenty-four hours ago, after crawling ashore on one of the islands, they’d spotted an early morning fishing crew and had managed to flag them down and convince them to take them to the mainland.
After that, it was a quick collect call to Tempe for help, a message left on the vet’s answering machine saying they would send someone for Mr. Wiggles in a few days, and then waiting for a car to take them to the airport where Bravo and the company jet stood by.
The flight home was wonderfully uneventful but what troubled Kane was that Holly had barely said two words the entire time. He talked to Bravo, but she didn’t join in, and when he tried to speak to her, the answers were monosyllabic and forced.
He’d thought it might be her ribs, but once she rested, she seemed fine. She’d even refused ibuprofen.
Whatever was bothering her, she wasn’t sharing.
Behind him, the door opened, and Tempe entered the room with Mira at her side.
Kane rose. It was time to end the charade and find out why the hell he and his team had risked their lives.
Lagging behind the client, Tempe motioned for him to sit down. She had a plan, as Tempe always did.
He sat back in his seat, and Bravo moved to lean against the wall, as relaxed and nonchalant as if he were at home. It was a good skill, and one Kane knew he’d never possess.
Not that he wanted to. Bravo was a good thief and always welcome on any mission Kane led, but he was missing something crucial.
Heart. Nothing mattered to the other agent. It was what made him an excellent seducer. He could walk away from anyone.
But how had he walked away from Holly? One weekend with her, and Kane was hooked. It wasn’t the sex. The laughter. The defiance. Or the way she lied through her teeth or offered the truth like a gift.
It was the whole package. She was playful, mysterious, and he could only wonder why she didn’t have an actual fiancé instead of the imposter he had played.
“Did you get the necklace?” Mira asked, her nearly frantic eyes meeting each of theirs in turn, not sure who to address.
“Please, take a seat,” Tempe said.
Bravo retrieved a chair from the meeting table, placed it on the other side of Kane, and returned to his stance against the wall.
Mira sat. “You didn’t get it, did you?”
“We did,” Tempe said.
“Thank God. Where is it?” She sounded as relieved as if they’d told her they’d saved her child from a kidnapper.
Tempe continued, “We have some questions.”
Mira wasn’t listening. She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a credit card. “This should take care of the balance,” she said, waving the black plastic at no one in particular.
Tempe took the card, and next to him, Holly snickered. Mira might have conned them and put the team in danger, but Tempe always got paid. Kane flashed a quick, knowing look at Holly, and for a moment, the connection he’d felt on the op was back. If he reached across the space between them, would she take his hand or act as if he were still the same Kane she knew from a few days ago?
Then her face tightened, and the connection disappeared as if it had never existed, giving him his answer. Whatever it was he had done, or not done, she wasn’t ready to forgive him for it. Of course, it would help if he knew what that something actually was.
Tempe finished running the card and handed it back to the client. Now that the money portion was complete, he could focus on finding out what she was hiding.
“Where’s my necklace?” Mira asked.
Tempe opened a drawer, took out a small box and pushed it across the desk. “Here.”
Mira opened it, and her breath caught in her throat. Carefully, she held the necklace up by its chain, letting it sparkle in the morning light. Then the joy on her face died. “There’s a stone missing.”
He hadn’t noticed, but then again, he’d only held it for a few seconds. Bravo had served as the courier for the trip back to L.A.
“Not our problem,” Tempe said, casting a quick glance at the team. Wait for it.
Mira’s mouthed twisted. “It is your problem. I paid for you to get the necklace. All of it.”
Tempe folded her hands on her desk, her shoulders rigid, her hair perfect, and her suit as pressed as if she’d picked it up from the cleaners minutes earlier. The epitome of calm. “You lied. You’re lucky I’m not charging you double.”
Mira dropped the necklace back into the box. “I don’t understand.”
Tempe cocked her head. “Yes, you do.”
Mira glared at the petite redhead, and her hands shook as they tightened around the box. “You have it, don’t you? You took the chip,” she said, her voice trembling with rage.
Chip? The energy in the room shifted.
“What chip?” Tempe asked.
The fury that had caused the slip was gone. Mira surveyed the room, looking down her nose. He knew that expression. They were beneath her. The moronic masses as far as she was concerned. She didn’t have to tell them anything, and she wouldn’t.
Unless threatened.
“The Corsican mob was after the necklace,” Kane said. “We almost died because you didn’t tell us everything.”
“The mob?” Mira shrugged, as if the mob was on par with kittens when it came to her mental list of “things to worry about.” “Tim always ran with a rough crowd. I’m not surprised that the guest list included a few thugs.”
“They wanted the necklace,” Holly interrupted. “Not to socialize.”
Mira rose, confident. “Thank you for returning my property,” she said. “But I’m not going to stay here and be insulted by the people I hired to help me.”
Tempe rose, the flats of her hands pressed onto the table top. “Sit down. Now. Or I will leak the information that the necklace was returned to you intact. I imagine that the Corsicans would be thrilled to find out that bit of news.”
“Do what you have to do.” Mira jutted her chin out.
Mistake. Tempe wasn’t the kind of person who caved when it came to a test of wills.
“I’ll make sure Lucien knows you have the chip,” Holly said, finding her voice and interrupting Tempe. “He tried to kill us to get it, and he’ll come for you, too.”
“He can try.”
Holly crossed the few feet between them, confron
ting Mira head on. “Do you think any amount of security will keep you safe? It might be at brunch. During a pedicure. Perhaps attending some bogus charity ball, but he will come for whatever it is he thinks you have.”
She stepped closer, breaching Mira’s personal space. The client didn’t move away. Didn’t flinch. Instead she remained as still as stone, mesmerized by Holly’s voice. “Don’t kid yourself. He will torture you. You’ll tell the truth, that you don’t have the chip. He won’t believe you, and there will be nothing you can do about it except scream for mercy.”
Holly leaned closer, until her mouth was inches from Mira’s ear. “You’ll beg for death. Beg. You know the worst part?”
“No,” Mira whispered, her skin tone fading to a greenish gray.
“Your money won’t matter. The only thing that can save you is the chip, and it’s the one thing you don’t have.”
The room remained silent as Mira took her seat again. “What do you want to know?”
An almost imperceptible smile curved upward on their client’s mouth for a fraction of a second, and Kane realized that the sudden meekness was nothing more than an act. Did she think she could still lie her way out of the situation?
Fool. She didn’t know HRS, Tempe, or his team. Mira Burke wasn’t leaving until she told them everything.
“What’s on the stone?” Tempe asked.
Mira smoothed her hair back with a manicured hand. “Insurance.”
Tempe rounded the desk. “Quit fucking around. I don’t have time for your lies. Tell me exactly what it is, or I’ll call Lucien myself.”
The client flinched at confronting Tempe’s fury. She might be petite, but she walked like she towered over the room. Mira waved Tempe off. “The stone is an optical memory chip. My ex-husband wanted to keep it secret, which means it’s important. But don’t worry. Even if they have it, they can’t read what’s on it without this.” She pulled out her car keys.
“Excuse me?” Tempe said.
Mira pushed a button on the fob, and a laser shot out and hit the wall, creating a blue dot. “They need this to access the chip.”
Undercover With the Enemy Page 16